1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to providing automatic protection for highly trafficked buildings such as schools, stores, banks, warehouses, storage areas or other buildings from entry of weapons or of persons possessing weapons, or from illegal removal of merchandise. In particular, it deals with a low voltage system of electronic and mechanical equipment to robotically stop entry/exit and detain persons attempting to commit a crime in a protected area/building.
2. Prior Art Statement
There are many security systems to protect persons and buildings from criminals in the art. Many are called anti-crime or anti-robbery security systems. Generally they detect weapons on potential terrorists or criminals and alert some security force as to the entry of such person or persons. Often alarms are set off to deter action, but these give the perpetrator an opportunity to escape or capture hostages to trade for safe passage out.
Newer designs, like the silent alarms in banks, attempt to detect and alert personnel away from the entry/detection site without alerting the perpetrator. In many cases to detain a perpetrator, guards or other personnel have to activate precautionary measures to stop the criminal from departing but often at their own or bystanders' risk. Such systems are especially not optimal nor desirable for protecting school buildings or other public buildings where a general unsophisticated public may gather.
An alternative approach using a computer controlled double door enclosure and metal detecting sensors is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,766 by Lee and Lee. Their anti-crime security system involves having the two doors enclose the area between the two doors. If the passageway and doors are small enough to restrict ingress and egress to one person at a time then problems with passing high traffic through the entry will be inherent to the system. Also the doors will both have to open out from the enclosure in order to permit the capture of a potential criminal within the enclosure. The latter also serves to restrict flow through the entry/exit. In a convenience store with its rather limited customer access, these problems can be tolerated. In a clothing store or a school or bank where often large numbers of people must pass through an entry or exit, these restrictions are not acceptable. If the restrictions are ameliorated than the security would be more easily compromised.
In another scheme when the area to be protected/secured is a known secure area, as in a military building, a nuclear power plant, a prison, or a weapon research center, there are systems which provide for selective access to secure regions from non-secure regions as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,441. Persons attempting to enter the secure area expect delay and some restriction on direct entry. For schools, banks and the like, i.e. places where it is not desirable nor completely feasible to stop and check every entrant all the time, even semi-automatic systems as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,441 are not a solution. They would create almost a many problems as they would solve. For example, no one wants schools and banks and the like to feel like prisons. And yet in these often tumultuous times, it would be good to have ways to restrict the ingress and egress of persons trying to disrupt or threaten public places such as schools, etc.
An anti-robbery an anti-hostage equipment provided with a one-way rotating door for banks and the like was described by Pretini is U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,519. This particular systems of this patent involve multiple rotating doors and isolation passageways between them wherein detectors can probe persons attempting to enter the final protected area. The system is elaborate and its practicality even for banks is questioned since this patent is over 23 years old and, even though it no longer restrains use of its teachings, there is little or no evidence that such systems have ever been in use commercially.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,165 (Calandritti et al.), it does teach of using a revolving door as a security system, with four zones and the ability to capture/detain a person who has tripped the weapon detectors. It also, however, teaches use of multiple electric motors to activate the doors, critically to close the sliding panel into the exit region when a weapon carrying intruder is detected, and to operate the detection system as well. This limits the operation and placement of the security system. It also contributes making the system costly initially and also in operation and use. In '165, the underlying structure is powered by multiple motors to which are used in conjunction with the detector in an elaborate system powered by a power grid as used in commercial electrical systems. It is the stopping of the motors driving the door panels which is crucial to detaining an intruder.
The present invention provides a low voltage powered, substantially automatic, detection and detention system to prevent crime in highly trafficked buildings or other sites, including where or when normal power is not readily or conveniently available.